2012 San Costa pipeline explosion
The '''2012 San Costa pipeline explosion '''occurred at 1456 GMT on 15 February 2012, in San Costa, Leeds, to the north of Diplomatic City, when a pair of 30 inch diameter steel natural gas and oil pipelines owned by Leeds Natural Gas and Oil Co. (LNGO) exploded in flames in a residential neighbourhood just outside San Costa town centre 5 miles (8km) west of Leeds International Airport near Pineview Boulevard and San Costa Avenue. The loud roar and shaking led to some residents and the first emergency services to believe that there has been a plane crash or large earthquake. It took crews nearly an hour to determine that it was a gas and oil pipeline explosion. The death toll stands at eighteen people. The U.S. Geological Survey registered the explosion and the resulting shock wave as a magnitude 1.6 earthquake. Eyewitnesses reported the initial blast had a wall of fire reaching almost 1,000 feet into the sky. Explosion and fire At 1456 GMT on 15 February 2012, a huge explosion occurred in the Crestmoor residential neighbourhood of San Costa, near Pineview Boulevard and San Costa Avenue. This caused a fire, which quickly engulfed nearby houses. Emergency responders from San Costa and nearby areas soon arrived at the scene and evacuated surrounding neighbourhoods. Strong winds gusting to 40mph fanned the flames, hampering extinguishing efforts. The blaze was fed by ruptured natural gas and oil pipelines, and large clouds of smoke soared into the sky. It took 60 to 90 minutes to shut off the natural gas and oil pipelines after the explosion. The explosion and the resulting fire leveled 35 houses and damaged many more. Three more homes, deemed uninhabitable, were torn down in December, bringing the total to 38. The explosion excavated a crater 167 feet (51 m) long, 26 feet (7.9 m) wide and 40 feet (12 m) deep along the path of San Costa Avenue where the pipelines pass underneath the road. The crater has now been filled in. The fire continued to burn for several hours after the initial explosion. The explosion compromised a water main and necessitated that firefighters truck in water from outside sources. Firefighters were assisted by residents who dragged fire hoses nearly 4,000 feet (1,200 m) to working hydrants. Ordinary citizens drove injured people and burn victims to the hospital. Mutual aid responded from all over the Leeds area, including Leeds International Airport who sent 25 fire engines, 4 airtankers, 2 air attack planes, and 1 helicopter. The fire was only fifty percent contained by 2200 GMT and continued to burn until about 1140 GMT the next day. Response San Costa A Red Cross shelter was set up inside Crestmoor Park, half a mile away, as the entire neighbourhood of Crestmoor was evacuated The Health Service of Leeds (HSL) issued an emergency appeal for blood donations, as many survivors had lost an incredible amount of blood. Some residents who were evacuated from their homes were allowed to return to those that were undamaged on 19 February. The airspace over San Costa was closed until 23 February, with planes that usually fly over to land at LIA diverting around the edge of the city. All schools in Crestmoor remained closed until 1 March. Leeds Natural Gas and Oil Co. The Leeds Natural Gas and Oil Co. is the owner of both pipelines. On 16 February, the LNGO's CEO said the company was unable to approach the disaster site to investigate the cause, due to a police restriction. An official press release by the LNGO on 16 February reported the pipes were both 30 inch (76 cm) diameter steel transmission lines. LNGO shares in the Leeds Stock Market dropped 24% the day after the explosion. LNGO also reduced their operating pressures in all of their pipes by 20% after investigations on 18 February revealed the pipe may have been improperly installed back in 2006. After the San Costa pipeline failure, LNGO was required to re-evaluate how it determines the maximum operating pressure for some 500 miles of pipelines throughout it's system. Specifically, the Leeds National Company Safety Board asked LNGO officials to show that their lines had been tested or examined in a way that could prove the pipeline can withstand the current maximum operating pressure. At the deadline for this report to be published, on 15 March, the LNGO was unable to provide documentation for nearly half of it's pipelines, which meant they had to be fined "several hundred thousand Bells". A second deadline of 15 April was set, and if this was not met with a totally completed report, lines that had not been examined in the report would be shut down until they had been examined. However this was met after the total report was published on 4 April. In response to the disaster and a subsequent decision by the National Company Safety Board, LNGO revealed a plan on 4 April, published alongside their report, to modernize and enhance safety of it's oil and natural gas transmission operations over several years, including automation of over 200 valves, strength testing the entire network of pipe, and replacing any that does not meet strict new safety laws enforced by the Government after the disaster. It is estimated that, as a result of this, over half of the network may need replacing. The plan was divided into two phases. The first phase, beginning in June 2012 and ending some time in the middle of 2013, would be to strength test the entire network and any not meeting standards would be replaced. The second phase, beginning in the middle of 2013 and ending some time in early 2015, would mean the automation of all 200 valves and the installation of computerized systems to check for pressure levels and damage to pipes, so they can be shut off remotely immediately. On 7 April 2012, a small explosion on a natural gas pipeline around 5 miles south of Cardano, in an area of flat, empty grassland, caused the LNGO to bring forward Phase 1 of it's plan. It will now start immediately and is currently ongoing. Leeds Government On 16 February the government declared a state of emergency for San Costa. The next day, Mayor Tortimer toured the area, going to the disaster site and talking to victims at the Red Cross shelter. On 18 February the government unanimously passed a new law forcing companies to check their equipment more regularly and enforcing stricter safety rules. Lawsuits against LNGO Following the disaster, everyone who's homes had been destroyed, and relatives of those, grouped together and decided to sue the LNGO for 500 million Bells between them, so they would each get enough money to repair their homes and lives each. The case was heard in court on 1 April 2012 and the jury unanimously voted in favour of the suers, stating that the LNGO had been negligent in not checking their pipe safety. The LNGO handed over the money the next day, and that caused their share on the Leeds Stock Market to fall a further 30%. Investigation The investigation by the National Company Safety Board is ongoing and is expected to be published in June 2012. Dramatization On 7 April 2012 an episode of ''Seconds from Disaster ''about the episode, called "Pipeline Terror", was released about the disaster.